To be completely honest, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is one of the most gifted talents to have graced the hardwood. It’s like he’s taken Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon‘s game and added to it, becoming an indomitable force. The 30-year-old has now accomplished nearly everything a player wants to do when they enter the NBA. He’s a seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, and three-time All-Defensive selection. He won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award in 2023.
He’s missing a Rookie of the Year Award, losing that to Malcolm Brogdon in 2017. He has yet to secure a Defensive Player of the Year Award. However, Embiid’s holy grail is the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In his effort to win his first NBA championship, the decorated big man is pulling out all the stops, even dropping weight.
Sixers’ Joel Embiid Makes Major Transformation For Finals Hopes
“I think I lost about 25-30 [pounds]. I still got a ways to go, still want to lose more,” Embiid says (h/t Dan Olinger of the RTRS Podcast). “But it’s a process …As soon as we lost (in the playoffs) last year, I just texted (Sixers president Daryl Morey) like, ‘We gotta do whatever it takes to make sure that in the postseason, I’m healthy.’”
“I think I lost about 25, 30 [pounds]. Still got a ways to go. Still want to lose more. But it’s a process … we gotta do whatever it takes to make sure that in the postseason, I’m healthy.”
Joel Embiid on his health and conditioning for the upcoming season: pic.twitter.com/FMBm8Axa01
— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) September 30, 2024
“This year, there’s no agenda. There’s no All-Star, no All-NBA. There’s none of that,” Embiid contends. “It’s whatever it takes to make sure that I get to that point and I’m ready to go… Basically every single year of my career, I’ve been hurt in the playoffs. So, I think that’s the goal.”
Embiid shedding weight should reduce the strain on his lower extremities. As a player who has often been sidelined with foot and knee injuries, that could make his decision one of the most important of his career. His physical transformation may not just affect his durability though.
His Weight Loss Has Pros, Cons
If Embiid’s last listed weight (280 pounds) is correct, he’s around 250-255 pounds. That would put him around the size of centers like Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis. From that standpoint, Embiid may not have an ideal amount of girth to bang around down low. Even if he has the weight advantage in his individual matchup, teams often throw multiple players at big men to keep them off the glass. As a player who likes to post up, a loss of weight not only makes him less strenuous to defend physically, it could lead to a situation where it’s wearing on him more than the person guarding him.
That’s certainly not optimal for Embiid or the Sixers.
However, Embiid is fond of facing up from around the free-throw line or further. With the loss of weight, he’ll likely be quicker and capable of having more wiggle. So, when he’s on the attack, he may still be as formidable as before but differently. With Philadelphia signing two-time All-Star and four-time rebound leader Andre Drummond, it also gives the Sixers the option of playing Twin Tower lineups. When they matchup against teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Cleveland Cavaliers — who they could meet in the postseason –this truly benefits them.
